1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to trays for making, storing, and dispensing ice cubes.
2. Description Of The Background Art
Ice cubes are a modern convenience that many people use and enjoy. Cold drinks and ice packs are just two of the more common uses of ice cubes.
Ice cubes are commonly made by using ice cube trays which are made of a relatively thin plastic or other suitable materials and which commonly have, traditionally, two parallel rows of depressions. The depressions are filled with liquid, typically water, so as to produce individual cubes. The finished ice cubes are commonly left in the trays until they are dispensed from the tray for use by the consumer.
Typically, ice cube trays do not include a cover over the top surface of the tray. A number of drawbacks exist with such uncovered ice cube trays. Absent a cover, the ice cubes may take on undesirable odors, flavors, or colors from exposure to the environment within a freezer. An uncovered tray may also acquire foreign matter within or on the ice cubes. In addition, uncovered trays are not easily stacked. Functionally, it is difficult to dispense ice cubes in a one-at-a-time fashion from traditional ice cube trays. Typically, more than the desired number of ice cubes will fall from the tray when the tray is inverted.
Previously, a few ice cube trays have included covers. However, known covered ice cube trays still have a number of drawbacks. For example, such covered ice cube trays still do not optimally address problems experienced in dispensing ice cubes one-at-a-time.